The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The night was crystallized for Bobby Jackson on the final play of the third quarter, when he drove the length of the court past all five Trail Blazers for an uncontested layup.

All five defenders saw Jackson, and they knew time was running out. They just couldn't cover all the options for the Sacramento Kings, who overcame the absence of three starters to beat Portland 100-72 Thursday night.

Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points as Sacramento cruised to an impressive victory over the talented Blazers with no help from Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Doug Christie - three starters from last season's Pacific Division championship team.

"We play so well together, it's ridiculous," said Jackson, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. "If three starters are out, we just fill those gaps with guys we have on hand. On that play where I drove the lane, they were all worried - I might pass it, I might shoot a jumper. You can't defend everything we might do."

Vlade Divac had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Kings demonstrated the true depth of their roster in what should have been a difficult Western Conference matchup. Instead, six of the Kings' nine players in uniform had at least four field goals apiece, and they led by 25 points in the third quarter.

"The guys know it when guys are out," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "You have to step up, and you have to do a little bit more. Right now, it's important we stay together. We don't have a lot of margin for error, and we don't have a lot of bodies."

Webber was held out after he turned up at the shootaround with strained lower abdominal muscles. Christie finished his two-game suspension for a preseason fight with Rick Fox, while Webber sat in street clothes with Bibby and Mateen Cleaves - both sidelined by foot injuries.

Rasheed Wallace scored 24 points for the Blazers, who beat the Lakers at home on Wednesday night but shot poorly and made too many turnovers at Arco Arena. Portland never led and got frustrated in the second half, abandoning any pretense of set plays as the deficit grew.

The Blazers beat the Lakers in their season opener, but they came out cold and never warmed up. The Kings' defense played a role as well, as it did in holding Cleveland to 67 points in Tuesday's opener.

"They made the same plays time and time again for layups," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. "I made adjustments, but we just made the same bad plays time and time again. ... Our defense was atrocious."

The Kings beat Portland for the fifth straight time at Arco Arena. Passing the ball with their usual flair and defending more aggressively, the Kings turned it into a laugher by opening the second half with an 18-4 run before Hedo Turkoglu scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter.

Bonzi Wells had 11 points and six rebounds for Portland, which made just 7 of 17 free throws and committed 16 turnovers.

"We had a good opportunity to win this without Webber, but we came out flat," said Jeff McInnis, who went scoreless in 17 minutes. "They're a hard team to beat when they're making shots."

Gerald Wallace had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento to back an outstanding game from Jackson, whose second start in Bibby's spot was much better than his tentative opener.

Jackson, a career sixth man who will play many additional minutes in Bibby's absence, dominated his matchup with Damon Stoudamire while Divac and Stojakovic set up much of Sacramento's offense. Though he probably isn't 6-feet tall, Jackson went in among the Blazers' forwards for most of his rebounds.

"I was kind of surprised they didn't play as well as they can," Jackson said. "The rebounds are just part of my game. I'm a great rebounder for my size."

Rasheed Wallace missed nine of his first 10 shots, and got his first technical foul of the season for arguing with referee Tommy Nunez with 7:49 left in the third quarter. Wallace scored 13 points in the third quarter, but the Kings still pulled away.

The Kings expect to take Webber on their four-game road trip, which begins Saturday in Memphis, but there's no telling when he'll play. Bibby is expected to be out until December, while no return date has been set for Cleaves.

Notes: Rasheed Wallace wrote "J-M-J" in large silver letters on his sneakers. Jam Master Jay, rap group Run-DMC's influential DJ and hip-hop pioneer, was killed in his New York studio on Wednesday. ... Damon Jones, who made four 3-pointers for Sacramento on Tuesday night, hit another in the fourth quarter. ... Compounding the Kings' injury problems, Stojakovic sprained his jaw when he was hit while making a half-court 3-pointer shortly before halftime. He stayed in the game. ... Portland has won 14 of the last 21 meetings.